Although the Christians went forth to eventually teach peoples of all nations, I would like to focus on the meeting of the Christian person and the Jewish person at around the time of Christ. It was to the Jewish people that He had appeared, and it was their prophecies that he had fulfilled. Although He had come to save the whole world, He held a special place in their scriptures. God had foretold His coming, and they were expecting Him (72:1)

A MEETING-
Imagine living in the early days of the Christian Era and being a witness to the birth of Christ's glorious Faith. At a meeting of a Christian and a Jew, their worlds would come together. In a myriad different circumstances, they would meet face to face. Let us consider for a moment, who it really was that was meeting, and what were the underlying realities of the circumstances at the time of Christ (72:2)

Let us imagine a Christian and a Jewish person meeting with one another as if they were in present time, right before us. What are their realities? (72:3)

The primary reality of the Christian is that he believes that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. Of course, in his desire to please His Lord, he will exert every effort to conform to the glorious teachings Christ Himself exemplified during His life. However, as all fall short of the glory of God, the believer will have difficulty living up to the lofty standard implied in being a Christian. He may or may not be any more learned than the Jew, may or may not possess a fuller understanding of the details of the Jewish scripture, may or may not even possess those "Christian" qualities - such as charity, compassion, humility - to a greater extent than his Jewish friend, but he has been blessed by God with a wondrous gift - Faith. By his faith - invisible, intangible, utterly mysterious - he can overcome every deficiency in his life. He has been chosen of God, he knows His plan, understands the part he has to play in it, and is assured of everlasting life. He regards His faith as a treasure that he would not exchange for all the riches on earth. The relationship of the Christian to Christ, namely that of belief in Him, being the most important quality he possesses, is the reason that at times I refer to him simply as "believer" (72:4)

The primary reality of the Jewish person, on the other hand, is that he does not yet believe that the Christ has come. Whatever the circumstances in his life, whatever his talents, accomplishments, even his knowledge of scripture - yet he is deprived of Faith. In a sense, he is powerless, and nothing he possesses - be it wealth or knowledge, or determination - can compensate for his lack of faith. Until accepting Christ, he does not know God's purpose for his day, and cannot therefore lend his assistance to it. The Faith of God has been renewed, and is beginning to blossom, but he is unaware, because he has not yet found the Christ, although he, himself may possess many "Christian" qualities. The relationship of the Jewish person to Christ, namely that he is seeking, but has not yet found Him, being the most important aspect of his life, is the reason that at times I refer to him simply as "seeker". I use the word "seeker" rather than "unbeliever" for two reasons: First of all, the Jews at the time of Christ certainly did have beliefs, and were sincerely following what they felt was the will of God. Secondly, whether seeking to find the Christ consciously or not, they should have been, because He had been promised them in their sacred scripture (72:5)

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